47 percent of senior leaders in the UAE said they are prioritizing inclusive AI workforce transformation
Businesses across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are reporting some of the strongest productivity gains from AI in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, with many expecting returns on their investments (ROI) within the next year.
A new study by IBM and Censuswide titled “The Race for ROI” surveyed 3,500 senior executives across ten countries, including 500 in the UAE. The findings revealed that 77 percent of UAE respondents said their organizations have achieved significant operational productivity improvements using AI, well above the regional average of 66 percent.
In addition, approximately one in five respondents said their organization has already realized ROI goals from AI-driven productivity initiatives, with over 44 percent on average expecting to achieve ROI within 12 months across cost reduction, time savings, increased revenue,employee satisfaction and increased Net Promoter Score.
Agentic AI to deliver measurable ROI within two years
The report revealed that further productivity benefits are expected from the introduction of AI Agents, with 93 percent of UAE businesses expecting that agentic AI will deliver measurable ROI within two years.
According to the study, business areas achieving the biggest AI-driven productivity gains in the UAE are software development and IT, advertising and marketing, account management, customer service and procurement. At the same time, executives reported the top three benefits of enhanced productivity as greater operational efficiency at 55 percent, enhanced decision-making at 56 percent, and augmented workforce capabilities such as automating repetitive tasks at 55 percent.
“Across the UAE, we’re seeing clients move from experimentation to execution with AI, and what stands out in this study by IBM is how leaders in the UAE are linking AI directly to measurable productivity, faster ROI and workforce transformation,” said Shukri Eid, general manager, IBM Gulf Levant and Pakistan.
Enabling strategic business transformation
Across the UAE, the data showed that businesses are increasingly using AI to enable strategic business transformation. Of those who reported significant productivity gains, nearly a quarter credit AI with fundamentally changing their business models. Around a third of respondents are already using AI to change their operations in ways such as accelerating innovation timelines, shifting to continuous AI-driven decision-making instead of periodic planning cycles and redesigning value streams around AI rather than automating existing steps, while a further 2 in 5 intend to do so across all these areas.
In addition, 55 percent of senior leaders said that AI is augmenting workforce capabilities. With the time saved from greater productivity, executives said employees are spending more time on developing new ideas, upskilling and professional development, improving sustainability and advancing ESG initiatives, strategic decision-making and planning and engaging in creative work.
Meanwhile, 47 percent of senior leaders in the UAE said they are prioritizing inclusive AI workforce transformation.
“Businesses in the UAE are proving that when AI is embedded responsibly across people, processes and platforms it becomes a growth engine. These findings confirm that the UAE is setting a strong benchmark for AI adoption and innovation among the countries surveyed in the EMEA region,” added Eid.
Transparency in AI systems remains key for UAE businesses
The study also found that openness, interoperability and choice are critical priorities for organizations adopting AI. In the UAE, 77 percent emphasized the importance of transparency in AI systems and, models ensuring that the technology operates ethically and responsibly.
Similarly, 78 percent stressed the need for interoperability, enabling seamless integration of AI tools into IT systems to maximize efficiency and adaptability. A further 80 percent said they valued flexibility to choose and adapt AI solutions or providers as needs evolve, underscoring strong demand for technological autonomy.
While the findings suggest companies are progressing towards greater ROI from AI, UAE respondents also identified the following as top barriers to scaling successful AI pilots: inadequate data infrastructure or data fragmentation, security, privacy, and ethical concerns, IT complexity challenges, high upfront costs and reluctance to invest in AI and automation initiatives.
To accelerate ROI from AI, the report outlines five priorities for enterprise leaders: establishing an effective AI operating model; cultivating AI literacy and a culture of innovation; embracing rapid change; understanding risk through strong governance; and creating a cross-company “AI Board” to oversee ethical use.
Source: economymiddleeast